Misunderstandings and Second Chances
by SydneyGirl92
Summary: It took just a few seconds for Arthur to misinterpret what he saw and that mistake almost caused him to lose Merlin for good. WARNINGS: Merthur, mute Merlin


This is a mute Merlin story. Please forgive any errors I've made about muteness and sign language.

Thank you to my wonderful beta kaseyboy. You're the best!

I hope you enjoy and comments are greatly appreciated.

**Misunderstandings and Second Chances**

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Arthur met Merlin through his sister Morgana. Merlin was a graphic designer in the marketing department of Pendragon Industries and Morgana was his boss. He had been working there for nearly a year and everyone, including Uther, was impressed with his work.

Arthur was now back in London after having spent the past couple of years traveling for the company. He was VP and would one day run the company once his father, Uther, retired. He hadn't minded the traveling until Morgana married Leon, his best friend, about four months ago. He saw how incredibly happy they were together and it made him want more than the life he was leading, coming back to an empty hotel room every night. Arthur wanted someone to keep him in London. He wanted someone to come home to every night and talk to about his day. He wanted someone to love and someone that would love him back.

XXX

Arthur went down to the cafeteria to grab a quick sandwich for lunch when he saw his sister with a gorgeous young guy. After he remembered to breath, he paid for his food and walked over to where the two were sitting.

Before he had a chance to say anything, Morgana saw him. "Arthur, it's so nice to see you. Sit down." After he did she said, "I'd like to introduce you to Merlin and Merlin, this is my brother Arthur."

Both men smiled at each other and Arthur reached out to shake his hand. When their hands touched, Arthur was afraid he'd let out an audible gasp. It was like an electric current went up his arm and settled warmly inside his body.

It was right after they touched that Arthur discovered Merlin was mute and communicated with sign language. This really wasn't a problem for Arthur because he already knew sign since his mother had been deaf.

The two became fast friends, which was nice, but Arthur wanted more than just a friendship with Merlin. So after about a month, Arthur asked Merlin out on a date which he quickly accepted.

XXX

Arthur and Merlin had been dating for four months when they confessed their love for each other. It was that same night that they slept together for the first time and it was magical. Merlin wasn't very experienced so Arthur took it nice and slow, being extremely gentle with him.

XXX

Almost every Thursday night, Arthur and Merlin met up at the pub with their now shared friends Morgana, Leon, Gwen, Lance, Gwaine, Elena and sometimes Percy and Mithian.

It was Thursday, a few days after they slept together for the first time, when Arthur texted Merlin during lunch. "Sorry, but I have too much work to get done for this merger, I won't be able to go tonight."

"That's okay, we'll go next week," Merlin texted back.

"No, just because I have to work doesn't mean you shouldn't go."

Merlin replied with, "I don't want to go without you."

"You go and have fun. I'll see you tomorrow night at the party."

"Ok but I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Have fun. Love you," Arthur texted and when he saw Merlin's texted "love you too," he put his phone down and got back to work.

XXX

Arthur finished work earlier than expected so he headed straight to the pub to surprise Merlin. When he walked in it was more crowded than usual but after looking around for a minute he spotted Merlin. He smiled to himself but before he had a chance to walk over to him, he watched as Merlin reached up and put his hands on some guy's chest as he was pulling Merlin close for a sloppy kiss. Stunned, Arthur's eyes narrowed and he turned and walked out of the pub before Merlin or anyone else saw him.

What Arthur missed by leaving so quickly was Merlin's knee going into the guy's groin causing him to let go of him.

The bloke that Arthur saw kissing Merlin was Valiant, a guy that also worked at Pendragon Industries but in another department. He was always trying to get Merlin to go out with him but he always refused. Valiant was drunk and still couldn't seem to take no for an answer so he forced himself on Merlin.

Gwaine and Percy rushed over and shoved him away from Merlin and out of the club and told Valiant to stay away from him.

By the time Arthur got to his flat, he was furious. "How could he do this to me," he kept repeating to himself. He quickly downed several shots before he crawled into bed. He was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted and fell asleep almost instantly.

XXX

"How was work? Did you get everything done?" Merlin texted Arthur late Friday morning.

When Arthur saw the text, he just glared at his phone and was tempted to throw it across his office but he restrained himself. Instead, he just ignored it along with the other three messages he'd received from Merlin throughout the day.

Merlin wasn't really too concerned that Arthur didn't respond to any of his texts. He knew he had a lot going and was probably just too busy to respond. He knew he'd see him tonight at the party Uther was throwing for his employees as a thank you for their hard work. It was an annual event and no expense was spared.

XXX

Morgana stopped into Arthur's office in the late afternoon to ask him something about the party but he just brushed her off. "I still have lots of work to do on this merger so if you don't mind, I don't have time to deal with your little party issues."

"You don't have to be such an arse," she said back as she left his office and slammed the door shut behind her.

He wasn't really busy, he had finished the work last night but he was pissed at her for not bothering to tell him that Merlin was cheating on him. He was her brother, she should have told him.

XXX

Arthur and Merlin had previously agreed to meet at the banquet hall that Uther always reserved for the occasion because Uther expected him and Morgana to be there well in advance of anyone else.

The siblings managed to avoid each other, which really wasn't too difficult considering the fact that Morgana was still angry at Arthur from earlier in the day and Arthur was obviously furious with her.

Arthur was already at the bar when Merlin showed up. He didn't see Arthur right away but Arthur saw him and moved over to talk to Cendred, a bloke he'd dated a few years ago.

Merlin was soon greeted by Morgana. "Have you seen Arthur?" he signed to her.

"No, but I really haven't looked for him. I'm sure he's around here somewhere," she said as they both scanned the crowd. "Oh, there he is, at the bar."

As Merlin approached Arthur, he heard him talking to Cendred. "So how's the little boyfriend?" Cendred asked sarcastically.

"Who, Merlin?"

"Yeah."

"That's totally over. I got what I wanted and now I'm done with him," he said loud enough so Merlin could hear.

Merlin stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't believe what Arthur was saying.

Arthur turned around and glared at Merlin as he said to Cendred, "why, you interested?"

"Hell yeah," and he slid closer to Arthur who pulled him flush against himself and started giving Cendred open mouthed kisses as he looked Merlin directly in the eyes.

Merlin was frozen to the spot as the tears started to pool in his eyes. He needed to get out of there now. He turned and rushed to the loo since it was closer than the exit. He went into a stall so he could try to gather his composure before anyone saw him. Unfortunately, he was spotted by Valiant who quickly followed him into the loo.

Arthur watched Valiant follow Merlin, which pissed him off even more. Obviously Merlin's "other boyfriend" was going in to comfort him. He pushed Cendred away and left without saying anything to anyone.

Merlin didn't hear Valiant enter because he was trying to get his breathing under control and fighting to stop the tears. As he opened the stall door, Valiant pushed his way into the stall with Merlin.

"So Merlin, we meet again," he sneered. He was still furious about the night before when Merlin kneed him in the groin.

Merlin was in a panic. He had to get out of the stall and away but before he could even start to fight back, Valiant punched him in the face. This was quickly followed by more blows to the face and several to the ribs before he managed to turn Merlin around and shove him against the side of the stall face first. Before he could go any farther, Gwaine walked in.

Gwaine didn't know who was in the stall but he saw blood on the floor and heard struggling so he kicked the door in which knocked Valiant off Merlin. Merlin fell to the floor now that there was nothing holding him up.

Gwaine pulled Valiant out of the stall and yelled for help. Thankfully, Percy was heading to the loo and rushed in. As he saw Gwaine fighting Valiant, he grabbed him from behind and yanked Valiant's arm high up behind his back as he put his other arm around his neck before he saw Merlin laying on the floor of the stall. Gwaine rushed over to him and fell to his knees.

"Merlin, Merlin, are you okay?! Merlin! Wake up!" He was panicked so Percy kept his hold on Valiant as he shoved him out the door so he could yell for more help.

Two security guards came and took Valiant from Percy and called the cops.

By this time, all Merlin's friends had filled the loo and everyone in the banquet hall knew something terrible had happened. Merlin finally woke up much to his friend's great relief and Gwaine and Leon were able to get him up.

"We need to get him to the hospital," Leon said.

"Where's Arthur?" Morgana asked but no one was able to answer because no one knew where he'd disappeared to. She rushed out ahead of them to get to her car.

Leon and Gwaine led Merlin outside and to Morgana's car, which she had at the curb waiting for them. She was on the phone leaving Arthur a message as Gwaine and Leon slowly climbed in the back with Merlin.

Everyone inside the hall was shocked and sickened after not only knowing it was Merlin that had been attacked but seeing his bruised and bloody body being helped out by his friends.

XXX

Morgana and everyone else tried to get in touch with Arthur once they were at the hospital but their calls just kept going straight to voice mail.

They were all unaware of the fact that Arthur left the party to go home where he proceeded to get drunk. After the first call he got from Morgana, Arthur turned off his phone without even listening to it.

Morgana left him a second message telling him to "call as soon as you get this. Merlin has been hurt. We're at the hospital."

From Leon: "Hey man, I don't know what you're doing but call Morgana or me when you get this message."

From Gwaine: "Listen you arse, Merlin's hurt and needs you. Where the fuck are you?!"

From Morgana: "Arthur why the fuck aren't you answering your phone! Call me back!"

The friends also tried texting Arthur.

Morgana: Call me now!

Gwaine: where the fuck r u !

Leon: Arthur we took Merlin to A&E. Come as soon as you can

Morgana: get your fucking ass over here. Merlin needs you

Gwaine: FUCK YOU PENDRAGON

XXX

Merlin was admitted to the hospital and taken to surgery to repair the broken jaw he suffered. He also had a concussion caused by Valiant slamming his head against the wall of the stall and several cracked ribs.

As soon as he was out of surgery and moved to a private room, thanks to Morgana, Leon went to Arthur's flat since no one had heard from him yet.

XXX

Arthur woke up to pounding on his door at six in the morning. He could hear Leon yelling something but he put his pillow over his head and fell back to sleep because his head was pounding.

When Leon told Morgana that Arthur never answered his door, they both were worried that something had happened to him.

XXX

Around ten in the morning, Arthur once again heard someone banging on his door. He then heard Morgana's voice yelling at him to open the door.

He managed to get out of bed long enough to yell at her to "fuck off" before he crawled back in bed. He was quite sure she was there to bitch at him for making Merlin cry and he didn't want to hear it from his traitor sister.

She was furious with him but relieved to know that he was at least okay. She'd deal with him later but right now she needed to be with Merlin.

No one else knocked on Arthur's door for the rest of the weekend. Saturday night, when he finally turned his phone back on, the first text he saw was from Gwaine, "FUCK YOU PENDRAGON" so he deleted it plus the rest of his texts and voice mails without reading or listening to them.

How dare Merlin involve their friends and have them harass him.

XXX

Monday morning when Arthur showed up at work he got a few surprised looks from people but no one approached him. He was still angry with Merlin and his friends and apparently the scowl he wore on his face made everyone avoid him.

He spent the morning locked in his office. When he left to go to lunch he was stopped by several people asking him how Merlin was doing. Arthur and Merlin hadn't flaunted their relationship but he knew people were aware of it. He was annoyed that everyone seemed so concerned about Merlin just because of what Arthur had done Friday night. They obviously didn't know what their beloved Merlin had done to him the night before so his response was either, "how should I know," or "I don't really care." Each of which brought looks of shock or anger or disgust.

When he returned from lunch, he got more of the same questions so he stormed straight to Morgana's office. When he got there, her PA told him she took the day off and then told him she was surprised he was there.

"And why wouldn't I be here today," he demanded.

"I just figured, with everything that happened, you'd be at the hospital," the PA said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would I be at the hospital?"

"Well, I thought since Merlin was there, you'd..." but she stopped herself before she said anymore fearing it could end up getting her fired.

Arthur stormed back to his office where he slammed his door shut before he called Morgana.

After six rings, she finally answered.

"Where are you and what the hell is going on?!"

"Oh Arthur, so nice of you to finally call," she said with such fake sweetness it just angered him more.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Oh, so you want to act like you're interested now?"

"Morgana, tell me what's going on," he growled.

"Well, let's see. Merlin got through surgery and they should be releasing him soon."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Why did he have surgery? Where are you?"

"Sorry, but I can't talk anymore. The doctor's coming." She hung up leaving him worried and confused and feeling sick. He still had no idea what was going on so he called Leon.

"Leon, please tell me what's going on," he rushed out almost in a panic.

"Well hello to you too Arthur," Leon snapped because he was angry at Arthur's lack of concern for Merlin.

Arthur knew it must be something bad if Leon was talking to him like that. "Leon, please, I just want to know what's going on," he pleaded.

"Friday night Merlin was attacked by Valiant in the loo. He really did a number on him. He broke his jaw, cracked several ribs and gave him a concussion," he told him sadly.

"No," Arthur whispered.

"They had to do surgery on his jaw that night but Morgana told me a short time ago that they were going to release him from the hospital today, which is good. He looks like shit though. When I saw him last night, the swelling in his left eye still hadn't gone down much. His lip is still swollen and he's probably going to have a scar or two from where Valiant's ring sliced into him. He's really sore and having trouble moving because of his ribs but other than that, he's fine," he finished sarcastically.

Arthur collapsed in his chair trying to just breath. 'This can't be happening,' he said to himself. Finally, he gathered his composure enough to ask Leon what hospital he was in before he rushed out of his office.

By the time he got to the hospital, Merlin had already been released. He assumed Morgana probably took Merlin back to his own flat, not really thinking, so he rushed there.

After spending several minutes banging on Merlin's door, he realized Morgana must have taken him somewhere else so he called her.

"Morgana, where is he?" he demanded.

"No, I'm not telling you. The last thing he needs right now is to get upset so just stay away from him. I think you've done more than enough damage as it is," she said before she hung up.

Arthur sat in his car and put his head on the steering wheel and cried. Merlin was hurt and even though he was cheating on him, he still needed to see him so he went to Morgana's. She wasn't there so he just sat outside her door to wait until she returned.

It was around five when she finally showed up looking tired. "What are you doing here?" she asked him as she unlocked her door and went inside.

"I need to see him, please," Arthur said as he followed her in.

"No, I don't think you do. I believe you hurt him enough already by making out with Cendred right in front of him."

"I was only doing that to get even with him."

"Get even with him for what?!"

"For cheating on me and don't even try to act like you don't know what I'm talking about."

"I have no fucking idea what you're talking about!" she yelled as Leon walked into the flat.

"I saw him all over some guy at the pub!" Arthur shouted.

"What are you talking about?!" she yelled again.

"Oh come on Morgana, I saw him!"

"When!"

"Thursday night, as soon as I finished with work, I went to the pub and saw him and some guy all over each other. It was really nice of you and Leon to not tell me my boyfriend was cheating on me!"

"Oh my god, are you kidding me?!'' She knew instantly what he was talking about. "Did you also happen to see Merlin knee him in the groin to make him let him go?! Oh, and, by the way, that was Valiant, the same guy that beat him up Friday."

"What?"

"He wanted to get revenge on Merlin for what he did to him on Thursday night."

"But...no! I saw him follow Merlin into the loo on Friday. I just thought he was going in there to...No! Oh my god! I watched him go in there so he could hurt Merlin and I just let him." He fell to the floor and sobbed knowing he could have prevented the whole thing.

Morgana kneeled down beside him and put her arms around him. "Arthur, you were an idiot but you had no idea Valiant was going to hurt Merlin. You can't blame yourself for that."

When Arthur got himself under control, the brother and sister stood up and sat on the sofa. A minute later Leon came in with three cups of tea.

They all sat there in silence until Arthur finally asked, "where is he?"

"Listen, if I tell you, you have to promise you won't go see him, at least not right now."

"No, I have to see him. I have to make sure he's okay for myself. I have to tell him how sorry I am. Please Morgana."

Morgana looked over at Leon and he gave her a small nod. "Okay, but listen, I'm going to go with you and if Merlin doesn't want to see you then you have to promise you'll leave."

"I promise."

XXX

Morgana drove Arthur to Gwen and Lance's flat. 'Of course,' he thought to himself. He should have known that was where Merlin would be.

Before Morgana left, she had whispered to Leon to call Gwen to warn them that they were coming over. She wanted Gwen to be able to talk to Merlin and check if he wanted to see Arthur or not.

As soon as Gwen answered the door, she told them Merlin was sleeping, which he was because of the pain medication he was on.

"Can I go and see him? I promise I won't wake him," Arthur asked quietly.

"Go on, he's in the guest room," Gwen told him.

XXX

Arthur slowly pushed the guest room door open. The room was fairly dark because the blinds were closed but even in the dim light, he could see Merlin's battered face and it knocked the breath right out of him. It took a minute before he was able to walk into the room. The light from the hall landed on Merlin's face which made it possible for him to see the bruises, cuts and swelling more clearly and it made him nauseous. He just looked down at Merlin's abused face while tears streamed down his cheeks.

Finally, he kneeled by the side of the bed and reached out to hold Merlin's hand. With his other hand he very gently moved Merlin's hair off his forehead and leaned up and kissed it tenderly. That kiss was followed by many more gentle kisses to all the injuries on his face.

"I'm so sorry Merlin. I'm so so sorry. I love you so much. I just hope you'll be able to forgive me some day." He then rested his head on the side of the bed never releasing Merlin's hand and cried.

Arthur didn't know that Gwen and Morgana were outside the room and witnessed the tenderness he displayed towards Merlin. They finally walked away to give him some privacy.

Merlin never woke up while Arthur was sitting with him which he was both grateful for and sad about. He wanted to tell him how sorry he was and how much he loved him but he was afraid of the reaction Merlin would have from seeing him. After a few hours he got up and left the room asking Gwen if he could come back and see him in the morning.

"I don't think that's a very good idea. Just give me time to talk to him first," Gwen told him.

"Okay, but can I call you in the morning to check on him?"

"Of course."

Morgana had already left so he went outside and walked around for a while before he called a cab to take him home.

XXX

Arthur didn't get to see Merlin at all that whole week. Gwen tried to spare his feelings by telling him that Merlin didn't want to see anyone. Arthur knew it was just him that Merlin didn't want to see because Morgana was keeping him updated on his progress.

She told him he was still in a lot of pain and was getting antsy and wanted to go back to his own flat and back to work but the doctors wanted him to take another week off.

Actually, Morgana was keeping everyone updated by sending the staff daily emails regarding Merlin. She said it was much easier doing it that way because she was repeatedly being stopped throughout the day by coworkers wanting to know how Merlin was. After Monday, no one had wasted their time asking Arthur how Merlin was. He assumed word of his initial replies to those inquiries on Monday had spread and now they all probably thought he was a heartless bastard.

XXX

The second week was much the same as the first. Gwen would come up with some excuse or another as to why he couldn't see Merlin.

Arthur sent him a text each day but never got a reply back. He also sent flowers and even talked to a doctor to see what kinds of foods Merlin could eat and then had that delivered to him.

XXX

Merlin finally returned to work the following Monday.

Arthur wanted to go see him but it was like a zoo around him most of the day with coworkers coming to see him to tell him how glad they were that he was back and how much they missed him. Arthur stayed in the background and watched as people would smile as soon as they spotted him, which made Arthur's heart warm knowing so many people cared about and adored Merlin.

When he finally got a clear view of him, Arthur saw that the swelling and bruising was almost totally gone. He still had a bandage covering up the stitches he had on his chin and cheek and was moving slowly but he looked happy to be back.

Tuesday, Arthur went down to Merlin's department just before lunch hoping to catch him alone. When Merlin spotted him, he quickly put his head down and acted busy. It was clear that this wasn't going to be easy.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Arthur asked him.

"Better," Merlin signed back without making any eye contact with him.

"I'm glad. Um, do you think we could go somewhere and talk?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

Merlin shook his head no then signed, "I've got a lot of work to get caught up on."

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll let you get back to it then." As he turned to walk away, he added, "I'm really glad you're back," and then left.

Once Arthur was back in his own office, he shut the door, sat down and put his head in his hands. He felt like crying knowing Merlin didn't want anything to do with him.

After Arthur left him, Merlin slowly made his way to the loo so he could try to regain his composure. It was so hard seeing Arthur and he hadn't been ready for it.

Arthur continued to make attempts to talk to Merlin but he wasn't successful.

XXX

Three months had passed since Arthur broke Merlin's heart and he was desperate to talk to him so he went to Morgana to ask if he could join them for their weekly pub night.

She didn't give him an answer right away because she wanted to check with Merlin to see if he was alright with the idea. After she'd talked to Merlin, she told Arthur it'd be okay if he came.

XXX

Over the next several weeks, Arthur slowly started trying to engage Merlin in conversations. They started off with small talk and one word answers but at least it was a start and Arthur could feel the ice beginning to melt just the tiniest bit between them.

On one of their weekly trips to the pub, Arthur watched as a bloke came over to Merlin and tried to talk to him but Merlin just shook his head and tried to walk away. The guy then grabbed Merlin by the shoulder and swung him around roughly but before it went any farther than that, Arthur was there between the two of them shoving the man away from Merlin. After they exchanged a few words, the man left and Arthur turned around to face Merlin.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shook his head no but looked a little shaken so Arthur put his arm on the small of Merlin's back and led him back over to their table. When Merlin sat down, Arthur took the seat beside him. They were both quieter than normal after that but if their friends noticed, no one mentioned it.

When Merlin was getting ready to leave for the night, he gave Arthur a sad smile and signed thanks. Arthur wasn't about to let him walk out of the pub alone because he didn't know where the guy from earlier was and he wasn't willing to risk Merlin's safety.

As Merlin was standing, he noticed Arthur stand also. When he looked at Arthur giving him a questioning look, Arthur just grinned and shrugged his shoulders and walked out with Merlin and led him over to a taxi to ensure he made it home safely. Merlin gave him a small wave which he returned before heading back inside the pub to rejoin their friends.

Merlin had a hard time falling asleep that night. He kept replaying the events of the night over and over in his head. He could almost still feel the warmth of Arthur's hand on his back. He was so confused. He thought he was getting over Arthur but now he was doubting that. Maybe he had just been fooling himself all this time thinking he was getting over him.

XXX

Merlin missed their next couple weeks of pub nights. He told Morgana it was because he had a lot of things he needed to get caught up on but Arthur secretly thought it had more to do with what happened with their last encounter.

Arthur had stayed away from Merlin at work per Morgana's request but he had at least that one night a week where he could see and try to talk to Merlin but with his absence, Arthur was going crazy. He missed Merlin so much.

XXX

Gwen was having a party to celebrate Lance's birthday. It was a large gathering outside their building in the patio area with lots of people Arthur didn't know. Arthur spotted Merlin off to the side signing with Owen, a guy from work. Arthur was concerned that maybe he and Merlin had gotten together so he sought Gwen out. Before he could find her, a blonde bloke approached him and put his arm over his shoulder before whispering in his ear asking him to dance. Arthur removed the guy's arm as he shook his head and continued his search for Gwen. Unbeknownst to him, Merlin had been watching the encounter and grinned to himself when he saw Arthur walk away from he guy.

When Arthur finally located Gwen, she explained that, no, Merlin and Owen weren't together, just friends. Arthur let out a deep sigh of relief. Gwen gave him a small smile and patted him on the arm before she returned to her other guests. She and the rest of their friends had finally forgiven him for hurting Merlin.

When Arthur next saw Merlin, he was standing off to the side watching people dancing to a slow song with such a sadness and longing in his eyes that it broke Arthur's heart. He walked up to Merlin and asked, "will you dance with me?"

Merlin looked at him with sad eyes and shook his head no before he looked down to the floor. Arthur wasn't about to give up so easily. He hesitantly reached out and lifted Merlin's chin to get him to look at him.

"Please," he mouthed as he was giving Merlin puppy dog eyes.

Merlin hesitated and Arthur took advantage of his indecision and again asked, "pretty please?"

This drew a grin out of Merlin. Arthur slowly reached out and took his hand as he looked at him more serious this time. "Please," he said again looking so hopeful, Merlin finally relented and allowed Arthur to lead him over, but off to the side, of where everyone was dancing.

When Arthur pulled Merlin into him, like he had done so many times before, it felt right. Oh how he had longed to have this back. He held on to Merlin like his life depended on it. Before he even realized it, he had tears running down his cheeks and soaking into Merlin's shoulder. Merlin pulled back a little and looked at Arthur's face. He slowly lifted his hands and gently wiped the tears off his cheeks with his fingers and gave him another sad smile. Arthur pulled him close again not wanting to give up the closeness. He was relieved Merlin let him.

Before either of them had even realized it, twenty minutes had passed and the people that were still dancing were now jumping around to the song now playing while they were still clinging to each other just swaying in each other's arms.

Finally, Merlin started to pull away a little which brought Arthur back to reality. He looked at Merlin and gave him a sheepish grin before he released his hold on Merlin and then led him away from the dance floor keeping his hand on Merlin's back.

When they reached the other side of the patio area, Arthur asked him if he'd like a beer and when Merlin nodded yes, he left to fetch them both one before returning to Merlin. Arthur knew their friends were secretly watching them but was thankful no one came over to interfere.

Arthur handed Merlin his beer before he asked, "can we please talk? There's so much I need to say to you."

Merlin looked at him nervously. He didn't know if he was ready to be alone with Arthur and listen to what he had to say yet. But Arthur's next "please" broke any remaining resistance he had.

Arthur led him up to Gwen and Lance's flat. He didn't want any interruptions so he took him to their guest room so they'd have privacy if someone else came into the flat.

When they reached the spare room, Arthur led Merlin over to the bed to sit and put both their beers on the dresser. He then kneeled down in front of Merlin so he could see him clearly.

"I am so so sorry I hurt you. There is absolutely no excuse for what I did. There is no way you could hate me more than I hate myself. I love you so much. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but can you ever forgive me?"

Merlin looked at him for a minute before he signed, "I can forgive you in time but I don't know if I'll be able to forget what I heard you say and what I saw you do." He now had tears running down his face. "I thought you loved me but then you said and did those things."

Arthur tried to respond but Merlin waved him off and continued. "I always thought you were out of my league and I couldn't believe you would ever be interested in me, but then, the longer we were together, I started to believe it was real and that maybe you did love me. Then when I heard you say you got what you wanted and was done with me, I felt so stupid and humiliated." He had to stop to wipe his eyes of their tears.

"You used me and made me feel dirty and worthless. I loved you more than anything and then you did that to me. You got what you wanted and then just threw me away like a piece of trash."

Arthur couldn't take it anymore. He reached up and held Merlin's hands to still them before he spoke. "Oh my god Merlin, please, I love you so much. I swear I wasn't using you. Please, you have to believe me. You mean more to me than life itself. I am so so sorry. I would do anything to be able to turn back time and erase what I did."

"Why did you do it then?" he signed. Morgana had already told him how Arthur had misinterpreted what he'd seen that Thursday night with Valiant in the pub but all Morgana knew was that Arthur had kissed Cendred right in front of Merlin. She only knew that much because other people had witnessed it and told her about it. She didn't know anything about what Arthur said to him because Merlin had never told her or anyone else because he was too embarrassed and humiliated.

"That night, I went to find you at the pub because I finished work early. When I walked in, I thought you were kissing Valiant..."

'But I wasn't. I would never do that to you," Merlin signed.

"I know that but, at that moment, I just was so angry and jealous, I lost it. I wanted to hurt you the same way I was hurting." Arthur looked down at the floor for a minute before looking back up at Merlin. "I'm so sorry. You are the most important thing in the world to me. I'm willing to do anything to get you back. I love you so much." He was crying by this time and leaned over to rest his head against Merlin's knee.

Finally, he felt fingers running through his hair and after a minute of savoring the feel of it, he hesitantly pulled back and looked up at Merlin who signed, "I don't know if I can trust you again. You broke my heart. How do I know you won't do it again?"

"I swear to you I will never hurt you again. I would rather die than cause you any more pain. Please believe me."

When Merlin made no response, Arthur continued, "I love you Merlin and I will do anything it takes to get you to trust me again and to prove to you that I do love you."

Merlin still didn't respond. He just stared at Arthur fighting an internal battle with himself. Part of him really wanted to believe Arthur but the other part just kept replaying the words Arthur had spoken to him that night.

"Can we try again? Please?" Arthur signed.

Merlin looked at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes and signed, "maybe we can try being friends."

It wasn't what Arthur was hoping for but it was so much better than it could have been so he counted it as a small victory. He stood up and then pulled Merlin up and into his arms. He knew he might be pushing it but he just had to feel him in his arms again. Merlin didn't seem to mind the closeness either because he relaxed into the hug.

XXX

A few months after Lance's birthday party, Merlin and Arthur were friends again. Arthur wanted more but Merlin just couldn't get over his trust issues with Arthur so whenever Arthur broached the subject of them going on a date, Merlin declined. Arthur was determined not to lose hope, after all, he was the cause of this.

He patiently waited for the day Merlin would be able to look at him and not see him as the man that had broken his heart, but instead, as the man who was willing to wait for him no matter how long it took.

Over the following months, he sat back and waited. He knew Merlin was his soul mate and even though it killed him not to be able to hold or kiss him, he held onto the belief and hope that one day soon, Merlin would realize that too.

It took nearly six months for Merlin to finally see that man. Arthur hadn't pushed but he had been there making Merlin laugh, buying him coffee and then surprising him by delivering it to his desk, showing up at his flat with take-out when he knew Merlin had had a bad day and he'd most likely forget to eat, offering him support and a shoulder to cry on when his Mum was very ill and in the hospital.

He was also there when Merlin went to the store to buy a new suit for Gwen and Lance's wedding. He helped him pick out a shirt that showed off his beautiful eyes. When Merlin came out of the dressing room, Arthur was standing there with a tie for him to try on but, instead of handing it to Merlin to put on himself, he stepped close to Merlin, flipped his collar up, reached around him to grab the other end of the tie before he carefully tied it just right. When he reached up to flip the collar back down, he didn't remove his hands. He looked deep into Merlin's eyes and moved his hands just enough so he could gently stroke Merlin's cheekbones. When Merlin took a startled gasp but didn't pull away, Arthur leaned in and pressed his lips to Merlin's. He pulled back a few inches but when Merlin made no attempt to retreat, he cupped his face in his hands and kissed him like it was the only thing that would keep him alive. He didn't realize until they broke apart that they both had tears running down their faces.

He gave Merlin a warm smile as he carefully wiped the tears from his face and then pulled him in for another kiss that ended with them just holding each other in the middle of the dressing area.

When they parted, they looked at each other and they had matching grins on their faces.

Arthur smoothed down Merlin's shirt before he stepped back and looked him up and down, "you look absolutely gorgeous. Merlin, will you be my date for the wedding?"

Merlin smiled even brighter and nodded yes.

Arthur pulled him in for another hug and ended with a quick kiss before Merlin turned and retreated back into the dressing rooms.

Arthur felt like he was floating on air. He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs and throw his arms in the air proclaiming victory. He had just won the best prize in the world, Merlin.

As soon as Merlin emerged with his clothes, Arthur took them up to the counter and told the shop assistant they'd be back later in the week to pick everything up after the alterations were complete.

He then lead Merlin outside where he couldn't help himself. There, in the middle of the street, he pulled him in for another kiss and hug.

Once they'd broken apart, Arthur whispered, "I love you so much." He would've loved more than anything to drop down on one knee and propose to Merlin right then and there but he knew it was too soon. He did know that it would happen this time though. He was never letting go of Merlin again.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Merlin and Arthur started going on real dates. Arthur would pick him up and take him to dinner. Merlin was still a little apprehensive so Arthur was more than willing to take it slow for Merlin. They decided not to tell their friends just yet. They wanted to wait until after the wedding because they didn't want to take any attention away from Gwen and Lance as their big day approached.

Arthur and Merlin sat beside each other during the wedding ceremony. Arthur reached over ever so slyly to hold Merlin's hand. At the reception, they danced together a few times but not enough to make anyone suspicious.

The week after the newlyweds returned from their honeymoon, Arthur and Merlin showed up to the weekly pub night hand in hand with matching smiles on their faces.

Their friends looked at them and broke into cheers before pulling them into hugs.

XXX

Six months later, Arthur was once again outside a dressing room standing in front of Merlin, tying a bow tie for him this time. He gave him a passionate kiss and then smoothed down Merlin's shirt before he stepped back and looked him up and down.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," he told him. This time, Merlin was standing in front of him in the tuxedo he'd be wearing in less than a month to their own wedding.

Arthur had never been happier. Merlin accepted his proposal after they were dating for less than five months and here they were, less than a month away from their wedding day. It had been a long bumpy road that Arthur had to travel down to regain Merlin's trust but he'd finally made it to the end.

Arthur knew what it was like to lose his precious Merlin, now that he had him once again, he was going to cherish and love him for the rest of his life.

XXX

Six years, one flat and one house later, Arthur and Merlin were in the park. Merlin was running around playing with their three-year-old daughter Freya and her new puppy. Arthur watched them from the picnic blanket they'd spread out under a tree and realized he was the luckiest man alive. Every morning, when he woke with Merlin in his arms, he couldn't help but think that he almost lost this forever and he'd hold onto him a little bit longer and a little bit tighter. Then he'd think about his daughter and what he would've missed out on without Merlin's forgiveness so he'd hold on just a little bit longer and a little bit tighter still.

The end.

Thanks for reading.


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